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A guest post from Mills County County Democratic Party Chair Donna Crum. A recent fact check by The Washington Post reported that President Donald Trump has told at least 10,000 falsehoods since taking the oath to uphold our nation’s highest office. As Americans, we cannot allow this to become the new normal because this election and our democracy are too important. Political gimmicks and lip service just won’t cut it. Democrats need a candidate with a bold strategy backed by substantive policy ideas and a plan to get things done. We need a president that is honest about our problems […]

Two Iowans launched their campaigns for Congress in video announcements this morning. They’re running for separate seats, but the contrast couldn’t be starker. Democrat Rita Hart made her run for Iowa’s 2nd District official, while Republican Ashley Hinson launched her bid for the 1st District. Hart’s video shows her from her farm in Clinton County, preparing to plant her crops with her husband: I’m so excited to announce that I’m running for Congress to represent #IA02! Hardworking Iowans deserve a voice in Congress who will put their interests first each and every time. Let’s win this together! https://t.co/E5MESHVo6D pic.twitter.com/2jTk4aQg5i — […]

State Representative Ashley Hinson of Marion has filed official papers to make a run for Congress in Iowa’s 1st District. The filing appeared online this morning, two days after Hinson posted about a four-day trip she recently made to Washington, D.C. A run by Hinson had been speculated during most of this legislative session, though she seemed intent on waiting after the session had adjourned. She doesn’t appear to have an active website up yet, nor has there been any official announcement yet that Starting Line has seen. A two-term state representative first elected in 2016, Hinson has proven a […]

﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿The Iowa Starting Line Podcast host Pat Rynard interviews Colorado Senator Michael Bennet about his presidential run, his plans for public education, how social media is impacting our society, and what a candidate who has won in a purple state brings to the ticket. Plus, we talk with Patty Judge about what ethanol plant tours with the candidates are like.

In a May 5th guest article in the Des Moines Register, Senator Joni Ernst blamed the Army Corps of Engineers for lack of timely warning prior to the epic Missouri River flooding. She claimed we need better communication and warning about potential flood risk. Ernst’s call for more communication is in sharp contrast to her refusal to engage in the debate about the cause of these extreme weather events. Iowa climate scientists have been warning for years about the increasing flood risk to Iowa. Iowa now ranks fourth in the nation in the number of floods since 1988. With record-setting […]

A nonstop parade of presidential candidates has visited the good people of Iowa nearly every day this year. Turn around any weekend in a major Iowa county and you’re likely to bump into a White House hopeful. However, not every corner of the state has received the same amount of 2020 attention, nor have the candidates stuck to traditional or similar early travel routes. And seeing where the candidates have started their Iowa outreach this year can provide intriguing clues to their campaign strategy. Let’s take a look at which counties each candidate has visited during 2019. We won’t be […]

﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿The Iowa Starting Line Podcast host Pat Rynard interviews presidential candidate Marianne Williamson about her proposals for a Department of Children and Youth and a Department of Peace, and what someone from outside the political system could bring to the White House. Plus, we talk with Patty Judge about candidates for IA-02, IA-03, and the Senate.

Certain issues reach a political tipping point when timing, events or actions captures the public’s attention. One of the reasons that action on climate has skyrocketed to the top of the Democrats’ priority list is the actions of the world’s youth. In March, over one million students held climate strikes in over 123 countries calling for urgent climate action. In April, another climate activist group, the Extinction Rebellion, nearly brought London to a standstill with nearly ten days of protests. Student groups are active in promoting the New Green Deal in cities across the country. The Sunrise Movement, a group […]

A topic frequently debated on the 2018 Iowa campaign trail is now making its way through the caucus conversation, with Senator Amy Klobuchar holding several events on mental health care reform in Iowa this weekend. It was part of her roll-out for her new mental health and addiction policy proposal, one that comes with a personal connection for the Minnesota senator. “To me, like so many here today, it’s a personal issue,” Klobuchar said to a group of about 60 Iowans at Drake University on Saturday morning. “For me it started with my dad … he battled with alcoholism his […]

Congresswoman Cindy Axne successfully pushed through Congress an additional $3 billion in disaster relief for Iowa and the Midwest. Both the House ($14.2 billion) and the Senate ($13.5 billion) passed hurricane disaster relief bills in January. However, the bills have been held hostage by Trump due to his objection to money designated for Puerto Rico. The relief package has been on hold for months while the negotiations over Puerto Rico funding have continued. Axne promised in her campaign for Congress that she would use her sharp elbows to aggressively promote Iowa – a reference to her history of playing high […]